It is known that olefins can be arylated by Meerwein-type reactions. In the conventional two-step Meerwein reaction, an arylamine is converted to a diazonium salt which is then reacted with the olefin in the presence of a copper catalyst. In the one-step Meerwein-type reaction, the olefin is treated directly with the arylamine and a nitrite rather than with a diazonium salt. The latter type of reaction is taught in Doyle et al., J. Org. Chem., Vol. 42, 1977, pp. 2431-2436; Kawamatsu et al., Arzneim.Forsch./Drug., Res., Vol 30(I), No. 5, 1980, pp. 751-58; and copending application Ser. No. 758,818 (Davidson), filed July 25, 1985.
As indicated in Freidlina et al., Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR, Vol. 183, No. 5, 1968, pp. 1113-1116, it has been recognized that it would be desirable to be able to accomplish some telomerization in Meerwein reactions but that most Meerwein reactions do not permit telomers to be formed. It has been theorized that it is the presence of the copper catalyst which prevents chain growth in Meerwein reactions. However, regardless of the nature of the chain growth inhibitor, Freidlina et al. found that its inhibitory effect could be overcome in a conventional Meerwein reaction by the use of sodium acetate and an excess of the olefin. Kawamatsu et al. show that a small amount of telomerization occurs in their one-step Meerwein-type reaction, but they do not teach what permitted the telomerization to occur.